All the King’s English
PENMAN by Butch Dalisay
The Philippine STAR 02/17/2003

As the chairperson of what could well be the country’s oldest and largest Department of English, I’ve been asked by a number of people what I thought of President Arroyo’s recent directive to restore English as our primary medium of instruction from the grades up. I suppose I was naturally expected to join the chorus of hosannas that greeted the President’s announcement, given the oft-perceived deterioration of proficiency in English among our youth.

Well, let me tell everyone that what I did, instead, was to be the first to sign a petition circulated by teachers of Filipino and writers in Filipino in our university asking the President to reconsider her decision.

I don’t know who put GMA up to it, but I’d have to say that while it’s undoubtedly a popular decision that will play well in many metropolitan households, it seems to me to have not been too well thought out, and that the President’s wiser option – for which she would still have scored the PR points her handlers might have been gunning for – should have been to order a comprehensive and scientific review of the effectiveness of our language teaching (in both English and Filipino) to establish what exactly needs to be done to improve our people’s language skills.

I have no doubt that our students’ English skills have declined. I still teach at the front lines, after all, and I encounter this every teaching day in my students’ writing: They don’t know their tenses, their singular subjects take plural verbs, they take one long torturous and tortured paragraph to say what a five-word sentence could have better put. Worse, the ideas they express tend to be confused and timid – with the language itself becoming an obstacle, rather than a help, to clearer and more effective self-expression.

My problem with the President’s prescription is that I think it’s a palliative that won’t do much to cure the real problems of Philippine education and of the Philippine economy, which we’ve simplistically lumped into the problem of bad English. We keep promoting this fantasy that the pervasive teaching and use of English will mean a robust economy, because then we can then funnel hordes of English-speaking graduates to the credit-card call centers, or what we like to hype up as the "new economy," in truth the sweatshops of the digital age.

If this is the best we can come up with for a vision of the Filipino future, then by all means let’s set ourselves to it with utter seriousness: Abolish the teaching of Filipino altogether, as that will only dissipate our time and our resources; let’s make it a crime to text in anything but letter-perfect English, to sing OPM songs, to post signs like "BAWAL ANG UMIHI DITO," and to speak English the way the Ilonggos do, where "boil" becomes "BO-wel" and "fascism" becomes "pa-SI-soom."

Our most critical problem area in primary education isn’t English: It’s science and math, the very skills we need to make that quantum leap forward from being a nation of mere texters to a nation of software designers and cell phone manufacturers, from being customer-service clerks to builders and owners of industries. If you think our English is atrocious, go take a look at the scores of Filipino students in global math competitions. In 1995, out of 41 countries that took part in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, the Philippines ranked 38th in math and 40th in science. (Singapore topped both lists – and, yes, it speaks English, but what about close second- and third-placers Korea and Japan? And yes again, the Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese are now learning English in droves – but only after the fact of their industrial achievements, and not before.)

I’m not putting people in the service trades down, and thank God they have that extra something – in this case English – to give them an edge over the competition, against the Thais and Indonesians and Bangladeshis who all want the same domestic’s job in Singapore or Hong Kong. They’re keeping our economy afloat, and we can’t thank them enough for their sacrifices. But, honestly, nobody dreams of being a DH or a welder in Kuwait, not if he or she can help it, or if there was only something better back home to do. These English-speaking OFWs are heroes only in that they’re saving our skin, but they’re victims otherwise of an educational and economic system that’s had its priorities all wrong.

And those priorities won’t be straightened out by forcing teachers who can barely write and speak passable English to teach kids who can barely understand what their teachers are saying. It doesn’t help, either, that the teaching of Filipino also leaves a lot to be desired. Much of the hostility to Filipino has to come from the fact that many teachers teach it like some dead and foreign language. (One of my friends’ kids had these instructions on his homework notebook: "Itala mo sa iyong kuwaderno…." And who writes those godawful planeside warnings, the ones that urge you to put on your "sinturong pangkaligtasan" when you get on your "sasakyang panghimpapawid"?) If we have any more money to spend on education – and after science and math – we should spend it at least equally on the teaching of Filipino as on the teaching of English.

We have to take this deterioration of language skills in the context of a general decline in cultural literacy and critical thinking; our children don’t read, so they don’t know how words look like on the page, and how they behave in sentences and paragraphs. They don’t even touch newspapers (where the English has also suffered badly, especially in the metro, provincial, and sports pages). There’s very little interest among young people in the events that control their lives – possibly because of a general sense of helplessness, or the absence of a moral or ideological focus in their existence, which even the snazziest cell phone can’t fill. Thus, they miss out on language’s humanizing function – the way it structures experience and suggests meaning, turning individuals into communities, and communities into individuals.

This isn’t something that we can or should just lay at the feet of our teachers; parents have a role to play as well. Thinking that language and language teachers alone should bear the burden of our hopes and our development can only lead to massive disappointment down the road. All the King’s English isn’t going to save us from our worst fantasies and illusions, one of which is to believe that we can talk our way – in English – to progress and nationhood.

On a personal note, I’ll admit that I wouldn’t be where I am without English, and all the years I put into studying it and using it in my work and art. This much I owe the language: That it has opened doors for me that sadly would have remained shut were I writing in Filipino. But I would be kidding you and shortchanging myself if I said that all this was as easy as learning English grammar, or affecting a Midwestern American accent. If the language were all it took, there wouldn’t be any dumb Yanks and poor Brits on the face of the earth; there wouldn’t be a George W. Bush.

A response to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s verbal directive to the Department of Education to “return English as primary medium of instruction”

We are disconcerted by the statements of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regarding the intensified use of English as the primary medium of instruction in Philippine schools, and the serious implications on the education and lives of Filipinos. We would like to present other views on this issue of national importance.

First, the statement is an apparent misreading of the particular Constitutional provisions on the use of English and Filipino as the official languages of the Philippines. The Philippine Constitution, Article XIV, Section 6 provides: “Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in the educational system.” The announcement of President Arroyo—“[the Constitution] specifies the use of Filipino as language of instruction, but it also specifies that this is subject to provisions of law and as may deem appropriate. Therefore, I am directing the Department of Education to return English as primary medium of instruction”—is a complete reversal of this provision. Instead of sustaining the forward development of Filipino as a tool for education, she bends the constitutional imperative to highlight the role of the English language for her “global competitiveness” program. Also, President Arroyo’s statement distorts the said provision some more. The aforementioned Section 6 already paves the way for the status of Filipino as the only official language of the Philippines; it is the abolition of English that needs the enactment of Congress at a time when the Filipino language has achieved the total recognition and function as the national language.

Second, the statement “the return of English” implies the primary status of Filipino as a medium of instruction. Again, this is not true. Except for Manuel Luis Quezon, the Philippines, from the American period to the present, had not been fortunate enough to have a President who supported the use of our very own national language in the schools and in official communication. When she said, “Some subjects, of course, will still be taught in Filipino,” it betrays her ignorance of the current status of Filipino, that it has a limited use in Philippine schools, being used only in Filipino and social studies subjects. The other school subjects—from English, Science, Mathematics, Vocational, and Physical Education—are all taught in English.

Third, the statement places President Arroyo in the same mold of Philippine presidents who implemented language policies in complete disregard of scientific and modern learning principles. One of these is that a child learns faster in his/her native tongue. Another is that a child easily learns a second language if he/she is already literate in the native language. These learning principles have been validated in experiments and studies even before the implementation of the bilingual policy in Philippine education. The Iloilo experiment in the 1960s showed that the Filipino youth learn faster and better in their native language. The EDCOM Report (1998) said, “Test results showed that the highest scores were obtained by those who studied science in their own language…like the Japanese and Korean children.”

In the light of these statements, we question the Arroyo administration’s development program that hews to the labor needs of the multinational market at the expense of the growth of local scientific and entrepreneurial endeavors. Instead of looking after foreign interests, the Arroyo administration should consider prioritizing Filipino needs and concerns.

We recommend that the Arroyo administration seriously consider the use of Filipino as the sole medium of instruction in the primary level of education. English can be introduced at the intermediate level. This is to effectively and democratically implement the true spirit of bilingual policy in Philippine education, as well as employ the optimum learning principle. Hong Kong and mainland China are currently implementing this method as their educators realize the educational efficacy of the use of the mother language. Such a system that emphasizes the role of the first language will produce students who are literate in Filipino and are very ready to learn in English. We suggest that we invest in the training and the retraining of our teachers. Our normal schools should get a bigger budget to invigorate the teaching profession. We should earnestly develop and produce textbooks written in Filipino to support the recommended national language program. We laud the admininistration’s commitment to build more schools, but a parallel support should be infused into the raising of the quality of education. And just as important, we must also recognize the role of the teachers in sustaining the ideals of quality education. Hence, their salaries should be increased to encourage them to stay in the country and not become domestic helpers or chambermaids abroad.

HEHEHE, adda met masapul a little english knowhowmo a no ti US citizenship ti pagsasaritaan kakabsats, gapuna ket ti maysa nga i questionda kenka ket Who was the first president of the United states. Ket no nasungbatam daytan, a ket uray saan diay sumarunon, mabal-balinen.....

FOR the first time in its 94-year history, the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa is offering a four-year Ilocano degree program, which enables graduates to work in jobs where knowledge of the Ilocano language and culture is required.

Called Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Languages and Literature, with concentration in Ilocano, the program was approved by the university's board of regents on May 17, and opened to undergraduates in the spring (first semester which started in mid-August and will end in mid-December).

Prof. Precy Espiritu, of the UH Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature and the program coordinator, said the course was in response to the community's clamor for Ilocano-trained professionals in the fields of health, social and legal services, education and commerce.

Espiritu, a native of Ilagan, Isabela, and now an American citizen, said subjects in the BA program included Elementary Ilocano, an introductory course with focus on listening, basic conversation and vocabulary building; Intermediate Ilocano; Ilocano society and culture; Ilocano grammar; and modern Philippine drama and film.

Also offered is "Ilocano for interpreters," a subject that deals on techniques in interpreting Ilocano in English and vice-versa.

Ilocano natives

Among the instructors are Espiritu, Josie Paz Clausen, a Ph.D. holder in linguistics; Clemen Montero, a Journalism graduate and educational specialist; and Julius Soria, a lecturer in Ilocano and curriculum developer at the Farrington High School in Honolulu (Ilocano as language is also taught at Farrington).

They were all born in the Ilocos province and had come to Hawaii and the United States mainland for their masteral and doctor of philosophy degrees.

Ilocano is the medium of instruction in the Ilocano language subjects, while English is used in the teaching of Ilocano society and culture and Ilocano literature and grammar.

Students earn three or four credit units in each of the subjects that are conducted four days a week at an hour per session, according to Espiritu.

Espiritu, who is finishing her doctoral degree from an American university, said the Ilocano program in the university actually started in 1972, when several subjects on Ilocano grammar, Ilocano literature and other aspects of Ilocano culture and society were offered as electives in various disciplines like nursing, agriculture and engineering.

Among the best

There are at least 120 undergraduates who are enrolled in the program, Espiritu said. She said Ilocano was one of the best and most extensive language programs in the US.

The University of Hawaii, she said, was the only institution in the world offering a BA degree with a specialization in Ilocano. Students who will graduate from the course will also easily find jobs as interpreters in court proceedings, language teachers and researchers.

Non-Ilocanos can also enroll in the course, Espiritu said.

"There is a basic desire of Filipino students (mostly local born) to learn the language to communicate with their parents and other members of the Ilocano community," she said. "They also want to express their identity and show pride in their Ilocano heritage."

In terms of number, Ilocanos are the most dominant ethno-linguistic group in Hawaii and comprise at least 85 percent of the more than 170,000 Filipinos in Hawaii. Ilocano or Iloko is the major means of communication among Filipinos there.

Hawaii's Filipino (Ilocano) community has produced outstanding leaders in politics and the judiciary there.

State Gov. Benjamin Cayetano is of Filipino ancestry (his father was a native of Urdaneta City). In the 51-member State House, all of the six Filipino-Americans elected legislators are of Ilocano ancestry as are the six Filipino-American senators in the 24-member State Senate.

Accordingly, the depth of the Surigao waters is almost the height of
Mt.
Everest (32,000) where deuterium is found.

.Let us pray for the success of this project. Remember Bill Hamon's
prophecy
that the Phil
will be the America of Asia by year 2005? Let it be done according to
Thy
will...."...and this can only be achieved if the people will learn to
humble themselves, turn from their wicked and impious ways, and seek
HIS
face...surely He will heal our land"

HYDROGEN FUEL AND THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

A SPECIAL REPORT
International Press Release

By: (name of proponent withheld)
Metro Manila, Philippines

HYDROGEN from Water was predicted by Jules Verne in 1874 to be the fuel
of the future. During World War II, Germany used V-2 Rocket Bombs
propelled by HYDROGEN. Now, Dr. Jacob Bigeleisen discovered that at
room
temperature or under atmospheric condition, DEUTERIUM ATOMS are
electrolyzed naturally out of water in the form of HYDROGEN gas. This
natural phenomenal process needs no expensive electric power consuming
electrolysis to artificially separate HYDROGEN from OXYGEN in Water.

What is DEUTERIUM? Deuterium is HEAVY WATER or HYDROGEN WATER without
oxygen. This is obtained from the deep trenches of the World and the
World’s largest DEPOSIT OF DEUTERIUM is IN THE PHILIPPINES – A big
deposit of 868 miles long, 52 miles at widest point, and 3 miles at
deepest point, replenished by nature 24 hours a day after Deuterium
traveled more than 12,000 kilometers from Central America to the
Philippines through the span of the Pacific Ocean when Planet Earth
turns
on its axis from West to East in unending perpetual motion.

USES OF DEUTERIUM

Deuterium is used in the production of (Hydrogen) Li-Hy Fuel now used
in
Canada, America, Germany and some parts of Sweden to provide fuel for
cars, trucks, jet planes, etc. including solid Hydrogen for Spacecrafts
Challenger and Columbia. Deuterium can replace gasoline, LPG, LNG,
Avgas, etc. in powering all types of internal combustion engines. It
does not emit pollutants or any harmful carbon monoxide and does not
cause any environmental problems because it is in the water family as
emissions are nothing but water vapor or steam. Deuterium as Hydrogen
Fuel can be used for cooking, lighting, heating, and as Heavy Water
fuel
for Reactors in electric power generation.

Why does Deuterium electrolyze out of water in the form of Hydrogen
Gas?
It electrolyzes out of water in the form of Hydrogen gas because
Deuterium is CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN with element symbol, H2 (Hydrogen
mass
of 2 as distinguished from H2O in Water) subjected to the pressure of
water mass at the ocean floor of about 10,000 psi or more because
Deuterium obtained from depths of more than 7,000 meters below sea
level
and at more than 10,000 psi pressure causes the oxygen in water to
disengage, separate and escape naturally from hydrogen leaving only
Hydrogen isotopes to combine with other Hydrogen isotopes in forming
Deuterium under pressure. And Deuterium under pressure, when exposed
to
room temperature or atmospheric condition, forms or electrolyzes
naturally into Hydrogen Gas, in the same manner that LPG (Liquefied
Petroleum Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) in LIQUID state
transform
into gas after fusion process with air in the atmosphere the moment LPG
or LNG tank valves are turned on or opened. By taking out impurities
from Deuterium, Li-Hy Fuel is produced by special simple process at
very,
very low cost known to this proponent and his associates. Cheap
Hydrogen
will reactivate all idled Hydrogen Based Industries internationally
affected by high petroleum costs, and this will boost food, chemical,
and
metal industries worldwide.

PROPOSAL TO THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND FOREIGN INVESTORS

Through intensive research and development on oceanographic data and
processes with foreign associates, the proponent discovered that
concentrated Hydrogen exists only about one centimeter thick in every
3,000 meters deep of water mass at the ocean floor. Because Deuterium
more than twice the weight of ordinary water, it sinks and in the
process, OXYGEN separates naturally from Hydrogen when the pressure
becomes about 10,000 psi or more. The usual ocean floor depth ranges
between 2,000 meters to 3,000 meters. With the Philippine Trench at
7,000 meters to 10,500 meters deep, Deuterium is naturally trapped
through the ages untapped by man through this day, replenished by
nature
through the North Equatorial Current Tidal Flow from more than 12,000
kilometers away in Central America to the Philippines hitting the
Philippine Trench DIRECTLY PERPENDICULAR – The one and only Trench with
the widest and longest resource flow of Deuterium in the whole world!

This proponent presented in March 1986 the Deuterium Project to the
Philippines and American Governments in his desire to help the People
of
the Philippines and its Government, by introducing an internationally
accepted production-sharing scheme. This is the 40/40/20 production-
sharing scheme. 40% of daily production revenue goes to the
Government,
40% goes to the Investors, and 20% is retained or set aside to cover
the
cost of security, operation, management, administration, salaries and
wages, materials, supplies, repairs and maintenance, and other
operation
costs.

The Philippine Government would not put in any investment funds but the
following:

1) Land and Export Processing Zone or EPSA;
2) Tax and Duty Free Operation, and
3) Security of Investments with Government Guarantee

There are several lands belonging to the Government along the areas of
proposed sites. The Law on Export Processing Zone can be used to
declare
selected sites as EPSA, the Law providing a built-in Tax and Duty Free
arrangements with the Government. The Security of Investments are
provided for by the Omnibus Investment Act, the Investments Law, the
Constitution of the Philippines (past, present, and proposed) guarantee
the Constitutional Rights to Properties and Due Process, including just
compensation. The Government MUST GUARANTEE enforcement of these laws.

Foreign Investors have been informed that all funds would have to be
provided by them on the following items:

The 20% production sharing revenue would be set aside and be used for
Security, Management, Administration, salaries and wages, materials,
supplies, transportation and housing personnel, food, medical supplies,
and other operational costs in order to preserve and not disturb the
40%
production revenue sharing for each of the Government, and the
Investors’
shares. By maintaining this production revenue sharing ratio, future
disagreements and irritants are avoided. A built-in protection for the
Government and the Investors, which is strongly recommended by the
proponent on the basis of the ARAMCO exper

Deuterium is a political satire that discusses what the Filipinos did when the Philippines became the richest country in the world.
It is written by Bienvenido Noriega Jr. and won first place for
a full-length play in the prestigious Palanca Awards in 1990.

The present approach of formally suppressing indigenous dialects to be taught in the school system must end. Each indigenous dialect must be respected and encouraged to flourish. We must reexamine the fear of balkanizing our country if this approach is undertaken. By encouraging and supporting each ethnic group to strengthen their dialect, their respective cultures will surely flourish. If each thread is as strong as the rests, and if every single thread is respected for its contribution, the fabric of our nation will be stronger and more vibrant, and its future brighter. Empowered people will empower the nation. Naim-imas tay naluto nga mangrespeto iti amin nga ingredientsna ngem tay binogbog nga saan. The Philippines and the Filipinos deserve better. Agbiag iti Ilokano, agbiag iti Filipinas.

Sumungbat

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